Curriculum Information
Introduction
At Holland Moor School there is a structured programme of teaching and learning within a caring, supportive, well ordered and secure community. We pursue excellence in everything. Through a wide range of other activities we aim to provide the opportunity for all pupils to develop their full potential.
Each child is given the opportunity to:
- acquire knowledge through experience and understanding.
- read fluently with accuracy, understanding and enjoyment.
- write legibly and accurately with proper use of grammar and to communicate thoughts clearly and effectively.
- listen attentively with understanding and to communicate clearly through speech to make thoughts known.
- acquire mathematical skills through practical and exploratory work and to apply these with accuracy to situations in daily life and at home.
- acquire scientific ideas and skills through observation, discovery and investigation and to use the acquired knowledge to assess, analyse and solve problems
- identify, define and solve problems, undertake courses of action, evaluate them and modify these actions accordingly.
- to make informed, responsible and realistic decisions.
- acquire information and knowledge to be used in all aspects of work.
- satisfy special needs to extend individual talents and to develop interests.
- be aware of others and to acquire a set of moral values and judgments, to form self discipline and acceptable behaviour through trust, respect, understanding and manners.
- become aware of different religious communities and beliefs.
- be aware of the geographical and historical aspects of the environment, past, present and future.
- express feelings through poetry, drama, music, art and craft.
- acquire physical co-ordination and agility through P.E., gymnastics, games and dance and to express thoughts in expressive movements.
- experience and contribute to a partnership between the school and the community it serves, to understand the wider community and the ways in which individuals and groups relate to each other.
- prepare for life as adults and citizens, at home, at work and at leisure.
Nursery and Reception children follow the foundation stage curriculum.
The Nursery and Reception curriculum is based upon an active learning approach that allows all children to complete their study of the foundation stage curriculum. They may also be introduced to the rigours of the broad and balanced demands of the National Curriculum.
Children are generally taught in mixed ability groups but groupings in the class are also arranged according to ability in particular areas.
Children bring reading books home and parents are encouraged/taught how to support their children during these vital early years.
In accordance with National Curriculum requirements Holland Moor children follow a programme of study that is broad, balanced and relevant. At this age the children will be working under the requirements of Key Stage One and Two.
The timetable of most children comprises a core of English, Maths, Science, a basic subject R.E. and the foundation subjects of History, Art and Design, Geography, Music, Design and Technology and P.E. Cross-curricular theme/subjects include Computing and PSHE.
Specialist teaching is available in school for any pupil who experiences difficulty with core subjects. This is done by in-school support and if necessary with the help of outside agencies.
The learning experiences presented to each child are determined by the National Curriculum, the School Aims and County Policy, but more importantly by the needs of the individual child. Full details of the National Curriculum are freely available at the school with test scores and reports frequently issued to parents.
Our aims are not always identifiable with separate areas but develop through all the work of the school. Opportunities are sought to integrate work from a variety of sources, but to ensure a broad and balanced education the curriculum is organised into those core, foundation and basic areas of experience outlined above.
The school has produced guidelines/schemes of work in all these subjects/areas of experience and these are freely available for all interested persons. All teaching materials are also open to inspection.
If any parent/carer or other interested person wants to find out more about the curriculum we follow, please contact the headteacher;
Mr M Beale,
Tel: 01695 725062 or e-mail: head@hollandmoor.lancs.sch.uk
We will be happy to provide copies of
- subject policy documents
- sample lesson plans
- sample medium term plans
- sample PowerPoint presentations produced for lessons
If any parent/carer requests a paper copy of any information from the school website this will be provided free of charge.
Every pupil has a legal entitlement to R.E. which is a necessary part of their broad and balanced curriculum. At Holland Moor we explore a range of religious and non religious world views. In the UK parents/carers have the right to withdraw their child from R.E. on the grounds that they wish to provide their own R.E. This provision will be the parents/carers responsibility. Parents/carers also have the right to withdraw their child from parts of R.E.
At Holland Moor, Phonics is taught daily to all children in Foundation Stage, and KS1. Through the use of FFT Success for All, phonics programme from the beginning of Reception – Year 2. Phonological awareness helps the development of reading by segmenting and blending sounds and the children are heard reading regularly – individually, in groups and as a whole class. We ensure that children receive high quality phonic teaching on a daily basis.
Extra support is provided to those in Year 2 who have not passed phonics screening in Year 1 and interventions are planned for those children who are working below expected levels. Staff systematically teach learners the relationship between sounds and the written spelling patterns, or graphemes, which represent them. Each lesson begins with a phonological awareness activity to reinforce oral and aural skills previously learnt. This usually comprises of an onset and rime activity where sounds are substituted or deleted. We listen to a variety of phonological songs, nursery rhymes and poems. Each lesson follows the same structure: revisit, teach, practice, apply.
Phonics is delivered using a mastery approach because it enables staff to ensure application across subjects embedding the process in a rich literacy environment for early readers.
Pupils have regular reading sessions with an adult and we ensure our pupils regularly practise and apply their phonics knowledge. In the EYFS the continuous provision matches the pupil’s current knowledge and understanding whilst ensuring the children are suitably challenged. Teachers regularly assess the pupil’s phonics knowledge using the online reading assessment tool from the FFT Success for All.